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Child Workers in Mumbai

This 16-yr old has been working to support his mother, brother and himself for almost eight years.

He’s proud that he’s been able to keep the same job as a landscaper’s assistant for several years because he’s a good worker. He starts his day at 6am and often walks about forty minutes each way to work and back to save on bus money. After working a 9-hr day he heads to school from 6:30-10pm. At night he gets home and does his chores of filling water for the next day. This teenager spent almost half of last year out of school because life got too overwhelming. But thanks to the support and encouragement of his mentor and peers at the Child Rights Movement, he’s back in school and working towards completing high school.

This 14-yr old is a migrant child worker who was out of school for a whole year as he struggled to adjust to a different language and life in the big city.

He is now in Grade 8 and works really hard to manage his studies and his job in a car repair shop. He’s been working since he was 9 years old and is proud to help support his family. Each day he attends school in the morning then commutes to his job where he works from 1-8pm. He’d like to be an engineer and he says that he’s prepared to study very hard. He’s an active participant in the Child Rights Movement and he particularly enjoys special activity days when he can have fun with his friends.

These 9th graders are excellent students, very close friends and part-time domestic workers. They are also leaders in the Child Rights Movement.

The girl on the left spends three hours after school each day cleaning people’s homes. She began working at the age of 10. She proudly talks about how she aces her Algebra and English classes and is eager to work towards a medical or law degree. She enjoys learning about child rights and has an interest in child labor issues. She is also an animal lover.

The girl on the right loves studying and she’s planning to be a teacher someday. This year she’s been able to give up her part-time job as a domestic worker as her father found a good job as a driver. She now enjoys tutoring her younger brother after school.